Wiscasset school board chairman Gene Stover urged selectmen Tuesday night to put off a vote on the school budget. The $9.6 million budget has been defeated twice by referendum vote.

"We're looking for more participation," Stover said, noting that a vote on a Saturday in July probably wouldn't draw a lot of voters because of vacations and good weather.

"Eighty seven people at the last town meeting is nothing to brag about," Stover said. "If it's a nice day on the 22 nd , people will want to go to the beach - we won't have much more participation than we did the last time."

Maine's school consolidation law requires that voters act on 11 spending articles at a town meeting, followed by a secret ballot referendum requiring a yes or no vote on the entire budget. Those 11 spending articles were approved at two town meetings, followed by the defeat of the budget on two referendum ballots.

Stover's reference to 87 people was the attendance at the second town meeting. There were about 100 at the first town meeting. The budget was defeated in the first referendum vote 239 to 185; the budget was defeated in the second referendum vote, 322 to 242.

Stover said, "We would like to ask you to reconsider this voting date until we have a chance to meet with you and Arthur," Stover said, referring to the selectmen and Town Manager Arthur Faucher. "We have a couple of ideas we would like to toss around - a different way of doing it."

Selectman Nicole Viele pointed out that the town meeting/referendum voting process is one required by state law. Stover said he was referring to perhaps having the meeting in the late afternoon into early evening, or having it on a week night.

Town Clerk Sandra Johnson had suggested the next school town meeting be held on July 12, with the referendum vote to be held on July 22. The town will also be voting on a parks and recreation budget on the same day.

Johnson said the school board could change the proposed July 12 town meeting date, but it's important to keep the July 22 voting date to vote on both budgets because a separate referendum on the school budget would cost more money.

Selectman Phil DiVece said it's important to get the school budget approved as soon as possible so that they can set the mill rate for the town. The law requires that voters continue to have town meetings followed by referendum votes until a budget is approved.

"I just would like to explain something different," Stover said. Viele made a motion to go ahead with the July 22 voting date, and find another date for the proposed July 12 town meeting date. The selectmen agreed.

In response to Stover's request for a meeting to discuss his ideas, a meeting is planned for Friday morning, June 27. Asked after the meeting who would be attending, Faucher said he and Viele would attend. Faucher said it was impossible to set the time and place because the Superintendent of Schools is on vacation until Thursday. A reporter asked that the meeting be posted on the sign board in front of the town office as soon as it is known. Several people at the meeting said there is a rumor circulating that the school board wants to put the vote off until September.